Always
by Stellata
Summary: Ianto gets a message to the 10th Doctor right before he regenerates. Will his help, can Jack and Ianto have a happy ending after all? Jack/Ianto fix-it fic, set during Children of Earth, Day 4.


Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood or Doctor Who. Or else this would have happened.

A/N: This is decidedly AU. My story begins during End of Time, and also connects with Children of Earth, Day Four.

* * *

The Doctor was dying. He wanted to see everybody - all of his Companions - before they died, and say goodbye - maybe help them as they might each need it.

It was easy enough to find a trace on Jack - he had been all over the universe, in so many different times. But the TARDIS had decided to take the Doctor to meet Jack at one particularly point…

The world the Doctor found himself on was a 'pleasure planet', if you will - where folks came from all over the galaxy to relax, in many different ways.

He found Captain Jack Harkness in a bar, staring into his drink.

The Doctor did a double take as he recognized the man sitting near the Captain.

_Midshipman Alonso Frame?_

The Doctor blinked furiously. It couldn't just be a coincidence… could it be fate?

Maybe he could do Jack a favor…

* * *

A minute later, Jack received the note the Doctor had sent.

Their eyes met across the bar, and the Doctor nodded towards Alonso.

Jack smiled at him, and the Doctor couldn't help but smile back.

"Alonso."

"How'd you know my name?"

The Doctor leaned against the wall, closing his eyes for a moment as he got his regeneration under control. _Not yet_, he insisted to himself.

Jack and Alonso had been bantering for a few minutes, when -

"I'm gone for half an hour, and you're already flirting with someone else?"

The Doctor's eyes snapped open, and he turned back to see what was happening.

"It's - it's," Jack tried to protest.

Ianto Jones just glared and pulled Jack up by his braces, into a fierce, all-consuming kiss.

Alonso watched, a little put out, but mostly just turned on by the display.

The Doctor watched for a moment, pleasantly surprised. He guessed he hadn't needed to point Jack in any direction at all - Jack seemed to be all set, and didn't need his help at all, did he?

When Ianto finally released Jack, the Captain gasped something quietly, and Ianto glanced up.

The Doctor locked eyes with Ianto, and was surprised at the determined look he received.

Ianto grabbed the note the Doctor had given to Jack, took a pen from his pocket, and wrote something hurriedly on it. Then Ianto strode across the bar, and grabbed the Doctor's hand before pushing the note into his hand.

"You're needed, Doctor."

Ianto leaned in to whisper something in the Doctor's ear - something that made the nine hundred year old timelord shiver.

With that, Ianto walked away. Jack pulled him into his arms and held him for a minute, soothing him.

* * *

Ten _ran_ to the TARDIS. He simply _had_ to have enough time before he had to regenerate…

He fixed exactly on the time and coordinates Ianto had written for him, and then the TARDIS was flying…

The Doctor stepped out into a dark room. In front of him were Jack and Ianto… Behind them was a large glass case with some sort of gas inside of it…

"Doctor!" Jack gasped.

'_They'll poison everyone - and take the children, millions of children - to use as recreational drugs for their species. Unless _you_ stop them. What would Rose do, Doctor?'_

Ianto's words rang through the Doctor's mind.

"No! No!" Jack cradled Ianto in his arms.

"Jack," Ianto said quietly, sighing.

The Doctor sniffed, and realized that they were all being poisoned even as they spoke.

"Not again," He growled, and stepped back into the TARDIS. He took a deep breath, but the poison wasn't leaving his lungs. That meant he had less time to hold off regenerating…

_Bang._

_ Bang._

_ Bang._

_ Bang._

"Doctor, help me! He's dying!" Jack screamed in anguish. "No, Ianto, don't you dare let go!"

The Doctor turned to face the door.

Four knocks. _Again_.

This was the end. He didn't want to go - but he had to do something.

_He had one last chance to save the Earth from destruction…_

"_NO!"_ Jack bellowed, and then the Doctor could hear weeping.

_He's losing his Ianto,_ the Doctor realized. _Just like I lost Rose…_

'_What would Rose do, Doctor?'_ Ianto's quietly spoken words rang through his head.

"You were always so brilliant, Rose," Ten breathed heavily, as it all clicked.

* * *

Jack cradled his lover in his arms, not willing to let go.

"I wanted more time with you," Jack sobbed.

**"I know what you came here for - but you will not get it." **

Jack slowly looked up.

It was the Doctor - but he had glowing gold tendrils all around him - and Jack knew what that meant…

**"You -" **The Timelord pointed at the 456 within the glass cage. ** "You will leave this planet - now."**

But just like every other time the Doctor gave his one warning - the 456 didn't listen.

"We will not. You will die."

**"Yes, I will. But not before I do **_**this**_**."**

The Timelord raised his arms, then parts of the time vortex were flinging towards the 456 - then the creature shrieked and vanished from existence.

**"Now I know how she felt,"** the Doctor gasped, feeling the power he had, as the last of the 456 above the Earth were destroyed. "**Bringing so much death… But to save so much life."** He turned to look at Jack, who hadn't released his hold on Ianto.

Jack watched, his face pale and drawn. He didn't feel awestruck, or happy - how could he, when Ianto was dead?

"A_hhh._" Ianto sucked in a deep breath as his head came off the floor.

"Ianto!" Jack cried, grabbing him fiercely.

"J - Jack?" Ianto coughed, blinking in confusion. "I thought…"

"You're alive," Jack whispered, the tears running down his face now from joy, and not fear... Then Jack was falling backwards, and it was Ianto's turn to catch him as his lover died.

Just as it did every time, it broke Ianto's heart a little. But he knew it wouldn't be for long…

Ianto looked up and met the Doctor's eyes.

"What did you do?"

**"Blessed you - or maybe I cursed you." **The Doctor smiled sadly. **"My people would be furious - the last of the Timelords **_**purposefully **_**creating another fixed point in time and space."**

Ianto stared at him.

"But - you _didn't_."

**"Oh yes I did!" **Ten's eyes flashed with triumph. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a piece of paper, which he flung at Ianto.

Ianto Jones reached out to catch the paper, and read it in bewilderment.

" 'His name is Alonso?' "

**"No, ah, other side,"** the Doctor made a little flipping motion with his hand.

Ianto turned it and studied it.

"My handwriting. Directions to… here?"

**"You'll write that note for me one day." **Suddenly, the Doctor shuddered, the glowing gold around him fluctuating wildly. **"I have to go now. Tell Jack - I hope he can forgive me now."**

With that, the Doctor turned and walked back into the TARDIS.

Jack gasped and came back to life mere seconds after the TARDIS had faded away.

"Ianto."

"Jack," Ianto blinked, trying not to cry.

"You're alive…" Jack looked around quickly, realizing the Doctor was gone. "He destroyed them?"

"There's a reason they call him the Destroyer of Worlds," Ianto added under his breath.

"But damn useful sometimes," Jack blinked away his tears as he sat up, wrapping his arms about his lover.

"Yes," Ianto agreed.

Jack touched Ianto's cheek, and shuddered.

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Ianto tried to say.

"You can never die, Ianto. _Never_."

"I'm like you now."

"I'm so sorry, I never meant to -"

"Shh." Ianto said fiercely, gripping Jack's face in his hands.

"I thought I lost you for good." Jack gasped brokenly.

"Won't happen again," Ianto promised.

"I'd lose myself if it did," Jack declared.

"No, you -"

"_Yes. I. Would." _Captain Jack Harkness smiled at him. "I love you, Ianto Jones. More than _anything_."

"And I lo-" Ianto's words were cut off by a passionate kiss.

When they finished expressing their feelings with that one simple move, they smiled and chuckled to each other as if sharing a private joke.

"You get that?" Jack called out loud, addressing the politicians that he knew were watching. "They're gone. Cancel your plan."

Ianto sighed, closing his eyes as he sank into Jack's embrace.

"That was too close." Jack whispered.

"Much," Ianto murmured.

"Ianto," Jack trembled, placing a hand over Ianto's heart, as if to be sure it wasn't all a fantastic dream.

It was beating, slowly but definitely, and Jack breathed in.

"I'm alive," Ianto repeated. "We can have forever, Jack."

Jack shivered as the thought finally struck him.

"We'll never be lonely…"

Ianto smiled, and took Jack's hand in his.

"As long as we're together," he finished for his lover.

Jack breathed in deeply.

"The poison's still here, in the air… Hasn't been cycled out. We're going to have to die again."

"Hold me," Ianto said simply.

Jack did so, and they passed away embracing, their last thoughts of each other.

And then they were reborn - together, for always.


End file.
